Golf-club head



Patented Aug. 3l, 19256.

UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE.Y

`C'U'JlHlBIER/'ll S. BUTCHART, 0F RYE, NEW YORK. Y

GOLF-CLUB HEAD.

Application led May 11, 1926. Serial No. 108,370.

This invention relates to improvements in the heads of golf clubs and more particularly to the heads of golf clubs of the brassie and driver types.

The heads of golf'clubs of the types referred to are ordinarily provided with a sole plate secured to the sole of the head but it has been found that such plates are soon loosened through impacts with the golf tour is such that such loosening of the plates will occur. Therefore, it is the primary obj'ect of the present invention to overcome this diiculty by providing a sole plate so constructed and so assembled with 5d dent to slice and hook drives the sole of the golfclub head as to preclude any loosening of the plate in the eventinaccurate strokes are made.

While it has been; proposed, heretofore, to recess the sole of a golf club head and dispose the sole plate within the recess flush with the surface of the head, such plates have been of such marginal contour as to render them incapable of withstanding the stresses imposed upon impact with` the ball` to be driven, .the contour of such plates being Jusually such that there is a torsional or twisting. stress imposed thereon, and which is not overcome, in the event of slice or hook drives or, 'if the plates are con- /structed with thek object in view of overcoming this disadvantage, they are usually made of wedge shape and seated flush in a correspondingly formed recess in the sole of the golf club head and, under impact, soon become loosened. Therefore, the invention has as a further object, to provide a sole plate of such marginal contour that when secured' in place within a correspondingly formed recess in the sole of a golf club head of the types referred to above, it will not be liable to become loosened under the impacts inci as well as direct and proper drives.

Another object of the invention. is to so construct the sole plate and sofassemble the same with the sole of a golf club head as to adapt the plate to securely retain in place the weightin element usually :employed in golf clubs o the type referredto and t permit of disposition or location of this weighting element at the most advantageous Y point to effect balancing of the head.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a golf club head constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by lthe arrows.

Figure 3 is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the head, taken sub` stantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 1, looking 1n the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4: is a similar view on the line indicated by the arrows.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in general a golf club head having the usual shank 2 to which the shaft of the club (not shown) is secured in the usual manner, the \head having the usual sole 3 and striking face 4, the sole 3, in the present instance, being slightly curved longitudinally, as 'shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and the striking face 4 being flat and inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the juncture with Ithe substantially straight forward edge of the sole. As clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the sole of the club head is slightly curved between the heel and toe of the head and this curvature is more pronounced at the portion of the sole nearer the striking face 4, the intermediate portion of the sole near the rear side of the head being substantially fiat,` as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

The sole plate embodying the invention is indicated.r in general by the numeral 5 and the same is of brass or any other metal which may be found suitable for the purpose. The

The sole plate VLfurther comprises a tongue portion indicated by the numeral 9, which has straight substantially parallel side edges 10 at which the other or rear edges of the semi-elliptical portions 8 terminate, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. The

contour of the straight edge portion 7. and

the forward edges of the substantially semielliptical end portions 8 of the sole plate conforms to the contour of the forward edge of the sole 3 of the club head, as will be evident by reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The sole plate 5 is seated in ashallow recess 11 machined in the sole of the head and the plate corresponds in surface contour to the surface of the sole so that, inasmuch as the plate completely fills the recess, the entire surface of the sole is smooth. The walls of the recess are of such contourthat the rear edges of the substantially semi-elliptical end portions 8 of the body of the sole plate and the side edges 10 vof the tongue 9 of said plate snugly contact `wall portions indicated respectively by the numerals 12 and 13, which define the recess 11. The plate is secured in place by screws 14 fitted through the body portion 6 of the .plate and other screws 15 which are fitted through the tongue 9 of the plate, and these screws have their heads countersunk so that they are Hush with the under surface of the plate. e As it is common practice to provide an insert at the forward side of the head of a golf club of the types referred to and at the lower side of the driving face 4, such an insert, indicated by the numeral 16, may be employed in carrying out the present invention, although it constitutes no essential part thereof, 'but if the insert is employed. it will/be recessed or cut away at its under side to conform to and constitute an extension of the recessll in the sole of the head,

. as clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3'of the wall portions 12 Qf the recess 11, the plate4 will be firmly braced so that if its forward edge should impact the ball to be driven,.`

the securing screws 14 will be relieved of the strain and there will be np tendency for the plate to become displaced or loosened. It will likewise be evident that if the ball should be hit with a slice or a hook stroke and the forward edge of the sole plate should impact the ball near either end of the plate, the torsional or twisting strain which would otherwise be imposed upon the plate is effectually counteracted by the engagement. of the lateral edgesof the tongue portion 9 of the plate against the side walls of the-portion of the recess in whichl the tongue'portion of the plate is received.

It willalso be evident that inasmuch as .the sole plate is housed flush within the re# what I claim is:

c ess formed -in the sole of the club liead,'thei i plate may be thinner than the sole plate usually employed and, therefore, permit of an increased mass of lead weighting being embedded in the head in rear of the driving face 4 to increase the driving force of the club. The golf club head, in the, embodiment of the invention shown iny the drawings, is provided with a preferably cylindrical recess or socket 17 in rear of the driving face 4, and approximately in the line of the longitudinal axis of the head, and a weighting plug 18 of lead is housed within this recess and has its lower end iush with .the bottom wall of the recess 11 which isv tion 9 of the sole plate serves not only to prevent any torsional or twisting displacement ofthe plate but likewise serves to retain the weighting element of the club head in placel and permits of the location of this weighting element at a point to provide for balancing of the head with vrespect to the shaft of the club.

It will be understood that while a'plate of the marginal contour shown in the drawslightly variedfwithout departing from the spirit ofthe invention, the invention resid-` ing primarily in the idea of providing a re" cess 1n the sole of-the golf club head open- 'ings is to be preferred, .the contour may be ing through the forward side of the head at l the lower edge ofthe driving face as well as at portions at opposite sides of this edge and which recess hasJ walls such as the walls 12 which are spaced rearwardly from and located opposite thelopen side of the recess and the lateral wall portions 13 which extend rearwardly from the inner ends of the walls 12, and the mounting of a sole plate rwithin such recess 'so that the laterally disposed rear edges ofy the body of the plate will abut the first mentioned walls of the recess and the lateral edges of the tongue of the plate will abut thelast mentioned walls of the` recess. Therefore, the forward edge of the sole plate will conform to the contour ofthe forward side lof the club head andthe rear edges of the endl portions 8v of the body of the plate may be curved to a greater or'less degree than illustrated in the drawihgs and, likewise, the tongue 9 of-t-he plate may be of greater or less length than as illustrated.

Having thus described the invention,

A golf club head-having a shallow recess in its sole openingthroughthe forward vedge of said sole and having curvilinear walls located opposite its open side, the recess having a rearward extension defined by rearwardly extending substantially parallel walls meeting the inner ends of the rst mentioned walls of the recess, the said extension opening through the rear side of the head, a sole plate disposed within the recess and including abody portion having a forward edge substantially flush with the 10 forward side of the head and having rear edge portions abutting the first mentioned walls of the recessLthe said plate further including a tongue portion occupying the extension of the recess and havin vlateral edges abutting the walls of the said extension, and meansosecuring the said plate within the recess.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

CUTHBERT S. BUTCHART. 

